| Buildings
Compressed is best for
Corrugated Sheet
Fibre cement corrugated sheet is the ideal roofing & cladding material for livestock
buildings, says Ged Ferris of Cembrit.
ommonly seen on
agricultural
buildings across
the UK, fibre
cement was first
manufactured in
Europe at the end of the 19th
Century. The manufacturing
process was invented by an
Austrian Ludwig Hatschek after 7
years of experimentation with
papermaking technology and
various quantities of cellulose,
reinforcing fibres, cement and
water. The resultant mixture
creates fibre cement board, the
ideal light-weight building material.
Immediately after it is formed
fibre cement is still pliable. This
means it can be into moulded into
shapes - including a corrugated
profile – as well as the more
complex crown ridge,
bargeboards and ventilation
accessories required for a
complete roofing system. A key
part of the process in the Cembrit
factory is compression of the
sheets to increase the density of
the finished product, in our case,
C
www.farmingmonthly.co.uk
1700kg/m³. This figure is higher
than the industry average and also
ensures a thinner, more consistent
sheet that is better able to resist
abrasion.
We believe full compression is a
vital step in the process of
manufacturing corrugated sheets
and is the latest development in
fibre cement production
techniques. This is especially
important for agricultural projects,
where, exposed to the elements,
the roof is put under immense
stress and fixing tolerances will be
tested to their limit. Fixing
locations are points of weakness
for claddings of all materials. Steel
clad roofs will corrode first at
fixings and leading edges where
the steel is exposed. Less dense,
semi compressed fibre cement is
more prone than fully compressed
sheet, to wear at fixing locations
due to abrasion resulting in
reduced durability of the roof.
Products In Practice
A new dairy farm situated in
Bancyfelin is providing a healthy
and sustainable setting for cattle
due to the installation of 1,100
natural grey Cembrit Cemsix fully
compressed fibre cement
corrugated sheets, along with
Cembrit open protected ridges
across the full area of the dual
pitched roof.
“We have installed Cemsix on a
number of other projects in the
past,” says Kevin Lloyd, Partner at
LKL Construction, the project
contractor. “Cemsix has always
been an ideal solution as it not
affected by destructive fungi,
vermin or insects, and will not rot
or decay during the lifetime of the
building. The Cembrit open
protected ridge system provided
effective building ventilation by
allowing efficient outflow of the
rancid and contaminated humid air
present in the roof space of the
building. This was able to
positively aid animal welfare and
comfort within the building.”
To view Cembrit Cemsix, visit
the Cembrit stand (3A139) at
LAMMA in January 2017.
December 2016 | Farming Monthly | 23